In between praising his club’s new signings for their season-opening performances, Philadelphia Union manager John Hackworth spared a thought and a sigh for one player the Union have yet to get under wraps.

That player is Fred, caught in one of the many convoluted limbos within the tangled web that is MLS’s player acquisition policy.

Reports this week have linked Fred, who is officially out of contract after last playing with Australian A-League side Melbourne Heart, with a number of clubs, including the North American Soccer League’s Minnesota United FC.

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Hackworth, who is hampered from commenting somewhat given the fact that the Union have no control over Fred, did acknowledge the complications of trying to add the attacking midfielder and Union original.

A team spokesman confirmed that Fred continued to train with the Union through last week and into this week, even after a supposedly finalized roster was submitted to the league. The league’s window for acquisitions remains open even after the season begins.

“We’ve been going back and forth between the league and his representatives,” Hackworth said in his weekly conference call Wednesday. “He’s had different offers. I know that there was a report that he was going to go to Minnesota the other day. They made him a strong offer. I can tell you that I don’t think that’s done yet, so we’re still hopeful that we’ll be able to get something worked out there.”

The operative word in that assessment is “league.” The last rights-holder for Fred in MLS is D.C. United, for which the 34-year-old Brazilian played in 2011. Hackworth explained that while D.C. no longer owns his MLS rights, the Union would have to go through a process to acquire them.

League sources confirmed to The Philadelphia Inquirer that the mechanism for that acquisition would have to be a waiver draft, meaning Fred’s contract would effectively be with MLS for him to be allocated to a team. That means the negotiations, which have been ongoing for some time, involve the Union as only a peripheral player.

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As far as the Union players making their debuts on the field, Hackworth had high praise for their performances in last Saturday’s 1-1 draw at reigning Western Conference champions Portland.

Argentine designated player Cristian “Chaco” Maidana earned the corner and provided the delivery that led to Jack McInerney’s goal, on which Maurice Edu was also credited an assist for his flicked-on header.

Add in strong performances by center back Austin Berry and midfielder Vincent Nogueira, and Hackworth was very positive about the starting point for his revamped club.

“We tried very hard in the offseason to find the right pieces and bring in those kinds of players,” Hackworth said. “And both Vincent and Chaco, they did a good job in Portland and we hope we can build on that. They’re going to be really important to the way we play, both positions and strategically.”

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Also on the personnel front, Hackworth expressed optimism that Conor Casey could be available for Saturday’s home opener against New England. Casey, who has been nursing a calf injury, returned to training this week after missing out against Portland.

The timetable for defender Sheanon Williams, however, has been pushed back. Williams, dealing with a quad injury suffered in the Union’s preseason game with Toronto, has not yet returned to training and appears doubtful for this weekend.